


Are We Playing Dress Up?

by DualWieldingCousland (DualWieldingMama)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 17:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5936317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DualWieldingMama/pseuds/DualWieldingCousland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regan Trevelyan is supposed to be attending a party at Josephine's.  She has a good friend whom she thinks would hit it off with Josie.  So, she invites him over to help get ready  ... and to help him as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Are We Playing Dress Up?

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to try my hand in the Writings on the Wall thingy that Tumblr users pixiedurango and isawinsilence decided to do (partially because I never seem to write anything other than Cullen or Alistair with my OCs, because … romance). The prompt was “Dress Me Up / Buckle Up”. I suppose this one would be more along the lines of “Dress Me Up”.
> 
> Set during the Starting Over AU (Yes, I know that’s the Alistair/Cousland AU, but guess what … Trevelyan & Cullen show up there too. This just happens to occur around the time that Trevelyan and Cullen first meet in this universe. Yes, the timeline is all wonky in this universe, but who cares?)

***BONG***

Regan Trevelyan nearly shrieked when the doorbell rang.  She _knew_ he was coming; he’d texted her when he reached the main gate.  She knew exactly how long it took to get through the security gate and up the drive – it was a long driveway, and the security guards were thorough.  But the sound of the stupid doorbell her parents insisted on installing when she moved into the guest house still made her jump.  She blamed outside influences - the horror movie she’d been watching had her on edge already, and it was somehow already dark outside, and she was alone … and … and ….  “One second,” she finally croaked out.

She pulled the door open while dragging a hand over her face.  Maker’s ass, she hoped he hadn’t heard _that_ through the door.  “Hey; c’mon in.”

The man standing on her stoop just laughed.  “Rough day, Regan?”  He jostled the garment bag and boxes of shoes he had lugged from the car, glad he didn’t actually have to maneuver stairs to reach her place.  He still couldn’t believe he was doing this, but his friend had said she wanted him to come with her, so … here he was.

“Just … jumpy, Warden.”  For as long as she’d known him, he’d always gone by Blackwall.  Sure, it’d only been a year or so since they met at the gym down the block, but he’d never mentioned a first name … and she’d never asked.  He’d introduced himself as simply Blackwall then; said he worked as a warden in the prison systems in the last city he’d lived in, but was currently ‘taking a leave of absence’ from the job.  She’d nicknamed him “Warden” after that.  “I think I’m just a little nervous about this … party?”

“You wanting to not go?”  He could kind of understand the desire to skip out, though not really from her.  She was a part of a wealthy family who had thrown _countless_ parties like the one they would be going to that night.  Surely she was used to it.  This one, thrown by woman who oversaw all of the hospital’s operations … and funding, couldn’t be much different, right?  He was more likely to be out of place than she was.

Regan half-smiled and shook her head.  “It’s not _that_.”  She headed down the hall, confident her friend would follow.  After all, they were there to get ready for this party, right?  “Mother apparently managed to get ahold of Josie … how she did _that_ , I don’t know.  Josie’s that girl I was telling _you_ about … anyway, my mother somehow conned her into inviting some … _guy_ she wants me to meet.”

Blackwall looked up from the garment bag he’d been unpacking and just … stared at her for a second.  “You’re … taking a date … to the party where you’re supposed to … meet your blind date?”  He’d been around for a few of her sillier ideas, but this one was sillier than normal.

“No.”  She laughed, shaking her head as she stared at the clothes in her closet.  She had _no_ clue what to wear.  Her mother had told her very little about this man she was supposed to meet.  He was, in her mother’s words, from good stock and charming, with _very_ nice features. That was it.  “I’m taking a _friend_ to a party so he can meet an amazing woman I know.  The blind date thing is just an … extra hassle.”  She finally pulled out a plain teal v-neck with short sleeves and one of her dressier pairs of jeans and headed into the bathroom to change.

“I still don’t see why you think this … Josephine … would be interested in me.”  Blackwall stood and stroked his fingers along his beard, examining the clothes he’d pulled out of the bag.  He’d brought the nicest things he owned, as she’d instructed.  But he didn’t see what good it would do.  From what she’d told him, Josephine was way out of his league.

“Because I know you?”  She came back into the room fiddling with her short hair.  The one downside with keeping her hair this short, or maybe it was a plus, was that there were very few options in the way of what to do with it.  At least she had some nice jewelry to jazz things up a little.  “And I know her, and I think once you two get the chance to actually _meet_ and talk ….”  She dug through the small jewelry box her mother had given her and pulled out a simple pair of amethyst studs and a matching pendant.  “Just trust me.”

Blackwall just shook his head and came up behind her, reaching for the pendant’s chain.  “Let me at least help with this before you rip _my_ clothing options to shreds.”  He appreciated the girl’s offer, but the idea that someone who practically _ran_ a hospital would even give him the time of day was laughable.  “Did you warn her you were bringing someone, at least?”  He hooked the chain together and stepped back, resisting the urge to poke at her accusingly.

“She knows I’m bringing someone I think she would get along with, yes.”  Regan turned around and headed over for the bed, pursing her lips critically as she looked over the slim choices of shirts and slacks.  She was confident Josie and Blackwall would get along like gangbusters without her help, once he got _into_ the party.  But a little help making a good first impression couldn’t hurt.  The things he brought didn’t offer as much of a selection as she’d hoped, but she could work with it, and she wouldn’t necessarily _have_ to raid Aaron’s closet.  But maybe she should.

“Why are you grinning like that?”  He knew that look.  He knew better than to _trust_ that look.  He was going to regret this, he was sure.

“Wait here.  Back in two minutes.  Go ahead and put on _those_ pants … and those shoes.”  She pointed to a pair of slacks near the edge of the bed and a pair of shoes that would go well with them.  Without waiting for his response, she ran out the door, and out of the house, leaving him to start changing.

He sighed and reached for the slacks.  “Why do I feel like I’m about to be stuck playing ‘dress up’?”

~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~

“Got the perfect thing!”  Regan came tearing back into the bedroom, a spectacularly blue piece of fabric in her hand.  “Aaron won’t miss it; he’s _never_ even worn it!”  She held out the cloth to show off the button-up with glee.  “And it’ll look great on you; you two have nearly the same build.”  She looked over the shirts spread out and nodded her head toward a slivery-grey t-shirt.  “Put that on first, then we’ll do this one.”

Blackwall couldn’t help but laugh as he watched her bounce on the balls of her feet.  She was oddly excited about him getting all dressed up for this party.  Was his meeting this Josie _really_ that important?  Shouldn’t she be more excited about whatever blind date her mother had arranged?  Oh, wait … this was Regan; she _wouldn’t_ be excited about that.  He remembered her mother’s taste in men was … not something she shared.  “You really shouldn’t have.”  He pulled the t-shirt he’d been wearing off, and moved to pull the new one on.  “Won’t your brother be angry when he finds out one of his shirts is missing?”

She had to admit, the pre-party show wasn’t bad.  Sure, she had no interest in the man beyond friendship … something they’d established very early on once he’d told her she reminded him of a previous girlfriend.  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the thick mat of dark hair covering his chest and running down his torso to disappear beneath the waistband of the trousers.  “Don’t worry.  Aaron has a ton of these.  He’ll never even notice it’s gone.”

He took the shirt from her, marveling at the feel of the fabric.  He guessed it was silk, with the way it shimmered and slid effortlessly through his fingers.  He was suddenly very nervous about handling it, afraid the callouses on his hands would snag or somehow damage the material.  How was he going to pull off wearing it for an entire evening if he couldn’t even put the thing on?

She saw the sudden flash of fear in his eyes and reached out, hand resting on his arm for half a second.  “Let me help.”  Regan took the shirt from him, flicking the buttons open with practiced ease.  “I promise, you cannot hurt this thing.  I’ve seen Aaron run through a pricker-bush wearing one and never once snagged.”  Gentle hands held the shirt up for him to slip one arm in, and then the other before guiding him around to face her.  “Just remember to _relax_.”  

Blackwall couldn’t stop the faint blush that hit his ears; glad the beard hid most of the color in his cheeks.  He didn’t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden.  Maybe it was the fact that the shirt … finally being _dressed_ made the idea of what was to come all the more real.  As he watched deft fingers button their way up the shirt, he took a breath.  “You look amazing, by the way.  I’m sure your date won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

She left the top two buttons undone and stepped back to eye the end result.  He looked good; the ratio of rugged to classy was just about perfect.  “And I’m sure _Josie_ will adore you, as long as you remember to just be yourself.”  Regan leaned in, gave a quick kiss on his cheek, and took his arm.  “Let’s get this show on the road, Warden.”


End file.
